Control means for toy electric racing cars



May 21, 1968 A. E. GOLDFARB CONTROL MEANS FOR TOY ELECTRIC RACING CARS 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1965 May 21, 1968 A. E. GOLDFARB 3,384,030

CONTROL MEANS FOR TOY ELECTRIC RACING CARS 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 1,1965 I Z6 Z2 INVENTOR.

May 21, 1968 A. E. GOLDFARB CONTROL MEANS FOR TOY ELECTRIC RACING CARS 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 1, 1965 United States Patent 0 3,384,030CONTROL MEANS FOR TOY ELECTRIC RACING CARS Adolph E. Goidfarb, 7427Varna St., North Hollywood, Calif. 91605 Filed Feb. 1, 1965, Ser. No.429,300 4 Claims. (Cl. 104-60) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventionis 'a control system for toy electric cars driven on tracks that areelectrified. The tracks have straight sections, left-hand turn sectionsand right-hand turn sections. The sections are insulated from eachother. The cars are controlled by means of a steering wheel and apotentiometer. The steering wheel controls switch contacts arranged sothat the steering wheel must be turned from a center position toright-hand or left-hand position for energizing the respective sectionsof track. Unless the wheel is turned appropriately the sections are notenergized to operate the cars. The operation of the wheel simulatesactual steering merely by energization of the track sections. In amodified form the circuitry is arranged so that if the wheel is notturned properly additional power is supplied to a right or left-handtrack section to cause the car to leave the track.

The present invention relates to control means for toy or model electricracing cars and more particularly to steering control means for suchcars.

A hobby which has gained popularity in recent years comprises racingmodel electric cars on a closed track which may be put together insections in a manner similar to that used in model railroad building.The track may include two or three bus bars or electrical conductorswhich supply electrical current to the cars. Each car includesprotuberance means which engage a slot in the track to maintain the caron its course. The speed of each car is controlled by a rheostat orpotentiometer which is held in the hand of the operator of the car. Therheostat or potentiometer is employed primarily to slow the cars down oncurves so that they will not jump the track. In a three-bus-bar system,two cars can be separately controlled by supplying current to onethrough one outside conductor plus a center conductor and to the otherthrough the other outside conductor and the center conductor.

While this method of racing toy cars is generally satisfactory, it doeshave certain disadvantages.

One disadvantage resides in the fact that the only control the operatorhas over the car is to either slow it down or speed it up with therheostat.

Another disadvantage resides in the fact that there is no particularfeeling that the operator is operating the car because he does not steerit.

Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the rheostat control meansdoes not adequately control the car on curves.

In view of the foregoing factors and conditions characteristic of toyracing cars and means for controlling same, it is the primary object ofthe present invention to provide a new and useful control means for toyelectric racing cars not subject to the disadvantages enumerated aboveand which includes a steering means for controlling toy racing carssafely, efliciently and expeditiously.

Another object of the present invention is to employ prior m electricracing cars without modification thereto which can be steeredelectrically with a new and useful steering means of the presentinvention.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new anduseful control means for toy electric racing cars which employs asteering wheel to position a selector switch in a first position forrunning the car on a straight-away, in 'a second position fornegotiating a right hand turn with the car and in a third position fornegotiating a left-hand turn with the car.

The present invention will be described for purposes of illustration butnot of limitation, 'as being used in conjunction with a 3-c0nductortrack.

According to the present invention, the outside conductors of a3-conductor track for toy or model racing cars include insulatedsections at each curve in the track. Each outside conductor onstraight-away sections of the track is connected to a first electricalcontact, each outside conductor on left-hand curves is connected to asecond electrical contact and each outside conductor on right-handcurves is connected to a third electrical contact. The center conductoris connected to a source of power which, in turn, is connected to eachset of outside conductors through a rheostat. A selector switch isprovided which has a leaf or knife connected to the rheostat. The leafis rotatably driven by a steering wheel in such a manner that it ispositionable on any one of the three contacts. Current can only besupplied to the straight-away sections of the track by positioning theleaf to contact a center contact. Current can only be supplied to theright-hand curves by positioning the leaf on a right-hand contact andcan only be supplied to the lefthand curves by positioning theleaf on aleft-hand contact. Thus, the steering wheel must be positioned straightahead while the car is on the straight-away, must be turned to the rightto make the car negotiate a righthand turn and must be turned to theleft to make the car negotiate a left-hand turn.

The steering wheel and the rheostats are mounted on a hand control unitwhich is held by the operator of each toy racing car. The operator ofeach car can control the speed of his car by operating the rheostat withone hand while simultaneusly operating the steering wheel with his otherhand to assure a flow of current to the outside collectors on allsections of the track.

The present invention, both as to its organization and manner ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like referencecharacters refer to like elements in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a race course showing a pair of tracksand the electrical system supplying power thereto which constitutes afirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a toy, electric-car control means ofthe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a partial, exploded perspective view of a section of therace course shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 FIGURE 4 is an exploded,perspective view showing a portion of a toy electric car in relation toa section of track;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a pair of racing cars inposition on a race course of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic view of a race course constituting a secondembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of a control means for the racecourse of FIGURE 6.

Referring again to the drawings, a race course for toy electric racingcars, generally designated 10, includes a pair of tracks 12 and 14.

The tracks 12 and 14 each include a straight-away section 16, aleft-hand turn section 13 and a right-hand turn section 20. The sections16, 18 and 20 are preferably joined together in a continuous, closedloop.

The tracks 12 and 14 are each provided with first and second, outsideelectrical conductors or bus bars 22 and 24 which are recessed intogrooves 26 provided in a base board 28 which is made of suitabledielectric such as plastic. The conductors 22 and 24 each include anencompassing sidewall 36 which is shaped to fit within the groove 26 andprovide a fiat upper surface 32 which is approximately fiush with theupper surface 34 of the base board 28. The tracks 12 and 14 also includecenter electrical conductors or bus bars 36 and 38, respectively, whichare recessed into grooves 40 and 42, respectively, provided in the baseboard 28. The conductors 36 and 38 each include an upper flat surface 44which is recessed below the upper surface 34 of the base board 28sufficiently to provide a continuous groove 46.

The sections 18 and 26 of the tracks 12 and 14 may be connected to astraight-away section 16 by any suitable means, such as by conventionalconnecting means, not shown, or by pins 48 and 56 which are shown inFIG- URE 3 for connecting a section 18 to a section 16 by engaging pins43 and 56 in the outer and mnter conductors, respectively. It is animportant feature of the present invention that the pins 48 be made of asuitable dielectric, such as plastic, and that the pins 56 be made of asuitable conductor, such as copper, so that, when the section 16 isjoined to the sections 18 and 20, an electrical fault will exist betweenthe portions of the conductors 22 and 24 mounted on the straight-awaysection 16 and those mounted on the curved sections 18 and 20 while,simultaneously, the center conductors 36 and 38 maintain electricalcontinuity throughout the sections 16, 18 and 20. The conductors 22 and24 may be recessed from the connecting edges of one of the sections 16,18 and 20, as shown at 22b and 24b in FIGURE 3 for the edge 18a ofsection 18, so that the connecting ends of the conductors 22 and 24 onone section will not contact the associated connecting ends of theconductors of the other section when they are connected together. Ofcourse it is apparent that, when the tracks 16 and 18 are connectedtogether in conventional manner, fiat insulating strips may be placedbetween the male and female prongs of the conductors 22 and 24.

Electrical power may be supplied to the tracks 12 and 14 from a suitablepower source, such as a dry-cell battery 52 which has a ne ative post 54and a positive post 56. The negative post 54 is connected to the centerelectric conductors 36 and 33 by a lead 58. The positive post 56 isconnected by a lead 66 to the wiper 61 of a first potentiometer orrheostat 62 and by a lead 64 to the wiper 65 of a second potentiometeror rheostat 66. The coil or resistor 68 of rheostat 62 is connected by alead 70 to the pole or leaf 72 of a three-position switch 74. The switch74 includes right-hand contact 76 which is connected by a lead '78 tothe outside electrical conductors 24- on the right-hand curved portion20 of the tracks 12 and 14. The switch 74 also includes a middle contact80 which is connected by a lead 82 to the outside conductors 24 on thestraight-away section 16 of the tracks 12 and 14. In addition, theswitch 74 includes a left-hand contact 84 which is connected by a lead86 to the outside collectors 24 on the left-hand curved portion 18 ofthe tracks 12 and 14. Thus, the switch 74 may be used to complete acircuit to the outside conductors 24 on the straight-away section 16,the left-hand curved section 18 or the righthand curved section 20 ofthe tracks 12 and 14, depending on which of the contacts 80, 84 or 76the leaf 72 engages. The leaf 72 is attached to a steering wheel 88through a steering shaft 89 which may be rotated to a mid-position sothat the leaf 72 engages the contact 80 to complete a circuit to thestraight-away sections 16 of the tracks 12 and 14. The steering wheel 88may be turned to the right,

as viewed in FIGURE 1, until the leaf 72 engages the contact 76 tocomplete a circuit to the right-hand curve 20 of the tracks 12 and 14.Also, the steering wheel 88 may be turned to the left until the leaf 72engages the contact 84 whereupon a circuit is completed to the left-handcurve 13 of the tracks 12 and 14.

The conductors 36 and 24 of the track 12 and the conductors 38 and 24 ofthe track 14, when energized, supply electrical power to a firstelectric racing car 90' through a first electrical conductor 92 affixedto the underside 94 of the cars front axle-carrying yoke 36 adjacent itsright front wheel 98 and through a second electrical conductor 1% whichis affixed at the approximate center of the yoke )6. The conductor 10!)may depend into the groove 46 into engagement with the surface 44 of theconductor 38, as shown in FIGURE 5, or it may depend into the groove 44into engagement with the conductor 36 when car 90 is to be run on track12. Thus, the car 90 can be run on the track 12 or the track 14' at thewill of the operator who controls the operation of the car with theswitch '74 and the rheostat 62. Of course, it is apparent that the car90 will run in a clockwise direction when tracks 12 and 14 are arrangedin a closed loop.

A second car 102 can also be run on the tracks 12 or 16 withoutinterference by the operator of car 90. This is accomplished by runningthe car 102 with power supplied through the conductors 22 and 36 ontrack 12 and the conductors 22 and 38 on track 14. Although theconductors 36 and 33 are common to both cars 96 and 102, the conductors22 are controlled independently of the conductors 24 through therheostat 66 and a second threeposition switch 104 having contacts 106,108 and 110. These contacts are connected through electrical leads 112,114 and 116 to the conductors 22 on the right-hand curve section 20, thestraight-away section 16 and the lefthand curve section 18,respectively. The coil or resistor 118 of the rheostat or potentiometer66 is connected by a lead 120 to a leaf spring 122 which may be rotatedinto engagement with the contacts 106, 108 and 116 by a second steeringwheel 124, through a second steering shaft 125 The rheostats 62 and 66and the steering wheels 88 and 124 together with the switches 74 and 104may be mounted in a suitable device, such as the control unit 126 shownin FIGURE 2 for the rheostat 62 and switch 74.

The control unit 126 includes a housing 128 having a top wall 139, aside wall 132 and a bottom wall 134. The steering shaft 89 is rotatablymounted in the bottom wall 134. The leaf spring 72 is affixed to theshaft 89 and extends over the contacts 76, 80 and 84 which are affixedto the bottom wall 134. The coil 68 of the potentiometer 62 is mountedin the housing 128 and is connected to the leaf 72 by the lead 70 asshown. The wiper 61 of potentiometer 62 is afiixed to a post 138 whichextends upwardly in the housing 128 through an elongated slot 146provided in the top wall 130. A finger engaging saddle 142 is affixed tothe upper end of the post 138 and carries a suitable pointer 144 whichmay be aligned with indicia 146 provided on the top wall to indicate tothe operator of the control device 126 the relative position of thewiper 61 on the coil 68 and thereby give an indication of the speed ofthe car 99. The operator of the car 162 will also be provided with acontrol unit not shown identical to the control unit 126 which has thesteering wheel 124, the switch 164 and the potentiometer 66 mountedtherein.

Power is supplied to the car 162 by a first wiper 15!) which is mountedon the underside 152 of its front axlecarrying yoke 154 adjacent itsleft front wheel 156, and by a second wiper 158 which is connected tothe approximate center of the yoke 154 and extends into the groove 46into engagement with the surface 44 of the conductor 36. The wipers and158 supply power to an electric motor, not shown, in the car 162 throughsuitable lends 169 and 162, respectively. Also, the wipers $2 and 109 ofthe car '99 supply power to an electric motor, not shown,

through leads 164 and 166, respectively. The yokes 96 and 154 arepivotally connected to their associated cars 90 and 102 by suitablepivot pins, such as the one shown at 168.

The cars 90 and 102 are each guided and retained in position on the baseboard 28 by a pair of depending lugs 170 which are afiixed to the yokes96 and 154 and which are engageable with the grooves 40 and 42 in thetracks 12 and 14.

If desired, a switch 172 may connect the track 14 to the track 12 alongthe straight-away portion 16 by connecting the conductors 22, 38, and 24of track 14 to the conductors 22, 36 and 24 of track 12 together bytransition conductors 22a, 38a, and 24a, respectively. The switch 172makes it possible to race both the cars 90 and 102 on the track 14 andpermit one car to pass the other by switching it over onto track 12 atthe switch 172.

Operation of the cars 90 and 102 will be readily understood: With thecar 90 on the track 14 and the car 102 on the track 12, as shown inFIGURE 5, the operator of the car 90 will be provided with the controlunit 126 which is electrically connected to the tracks 12 and 14, aspreviously described. The operator of the car 102 will also be providedwith a control unit identical to the control unit 126 which is connectedto the tracks 12 and 14 by the electrical leads 112, 114 and 116, aspreviously described. Assuming that the cars 90 and 102 are placed inposition on a straight-away portion 16 of their associated tracks, theoperator of the car 90 can place his car in motion by energizing theconductor 24 of the straight-away section 16 by turning the steeringwheel 88 until the leaf spring 72 engages the contact 80. This willenergize the car causing it to travel at a speed determined by theposition of the wiper 61 on the coil 68. As will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, maximum speed can be attained by sliding the wiper61 to a position where a minimum amount of resistance is included in thecircuit from the battery 52 to the conduct-or 24. As the car 90approaches the left-hand turn 18, assuming that the cars are travellingin the direction of arrow 176 shown in FIGURE 1, the operator of the car90 must turn the steering wheel 88 to the left causing the leaf 72 toengage the contact 84 to complete a circuit to the left-hand curve 18 inorder to energize the conductor 24 on the down-stream side of the faultproduced by pin 48. The operator of the car 90 can simultaneouslycontrol its speed by manipulating the slider 61 on the control unit 126so that the car 90 will take the curve 18 at an optimum speed.

In like manner, the operator of car 102 controls his car on thestraight-away 16 with the switch 104 and the rheostat 66 by manipulatinghis steering wheel 124 and the slider 65. Alternatively, both cars canbe raced on the same track by starting one ahead of the other. The rearcar can then pass the forward car at the switch 172.

Referring now to FIGURES 6 and 7, a race course constituting a secondembodiment of the present invention, generally designated as a includestracks 12 and 14 which may be mounted on a suitable base board 28, allof which may be identical to the like elements described in connectionwith the first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, theconductors 22, 24, 36 and 38 are employed in conjunction with theinsulated pins 48 and the metal pins 50, as in the previous embodiment.Also, an identical battery 52 may be employed which has posts 54 and 56connected by a conductor 58 to the center conductors 36 and 38, aspreviously described in connection with the first embodiment. Inaddition as in the previous embodiment, the positive post 56 isconnected by a lead 60 to a potentiometer 62 and by a lead 64 to apotentiometer 68.

The embodiment 10a of the present invention differs from the firstembodiment in the steering control. In the first embodiment of theinvention if the steering control was not correctly manipulated when theracing cars pass from a straight section to curved sections of track,power was completely interrupted and the car went dead. With the presentembodiment, on the other hand, power is supplied -from the post 56 ofthe battery 52 to the tracks 12 and 14 in such a manner that, should theoperator of a car fail to steer on a turn, the car will be supplied withfull voltage and speed up instead of going dead. Thus, if the operatordoes not correctly steer his car, it will shoot 011 the track on acurve. The steering control of the second embodiment 10a of the presentinvention may be used in conjunction with the cars and 102 shown in theFIGURE 5. The car 90 may be controlled by means of a multi-positionswitch 74a and the car 102 may be controlled with a multi-positicnswitch 104a.

The switch 74a includes a fixed base plate 178 having a first middlecontact 80a which is connected by a lead 70a to the resistor 68 in thepotentiometer 62. The switch 74a also includes a rotatable disc 180having a middle contact 80b which is engageable with the contact 80a andwhich is connected to a lead 82a to the conductors 24 on the straightsection 16 of tracks 12 and 14. A right-hand contact 76a is alsoprovided on the disc 180 and is connected by a lead 78a to theconductors 24 on the curved section 20 of tracks 12 and 14. The contact76a is engageable with a first right-hand contact 76b which is providedon the plate 178 and which is connected by a lead 78b to a secondright-hand contact 760 provided thereon. The contacts 76b and 76c aresupplied with full voltage from the battery '52 through the lead 60 anda lead 780 which also supplies full line voltage through a lead 86a to afirst left-hand contact 84a from which power is supplied through a lead86b to a second left-hand contact 84b, all of which are provided on theplate 178. A lefthand contact 840 is also provided on the disc 180 andis connected by a lead 860 to the conductors 24 provided on theleft-hand turn section 18 of the tracks 12 and 14. A third left-handcontact 84d and a third right-hand contact 76d are also provided on theplate 178 and are connected by a lead 70b to the resistor 68 through thelead 7 0a. The plate 178 also includes second and third middle contacts800 and 80d, which are not connected in any electrical circuit and whichare engageable by the contact 80b when disc 180 is rotated.

The disc 180 may be rotated by a steering shaft 182 having an end 184 towhich a steering wheel 186 is attached. When the disc 18!) is rotated bythe steering wheel 186 in such a manner that the contact 80b engages thecontact 80a, a circuit is completed to the conductors 24 on the section16 of tracks 12 and 14 from the battery 52 through the lead 60, therheostat 62, the lead 70a, the contact 80a, the contact 80b, and thelead 82a. Thus, the rheostat 62 is in an electrical circuit with thebattery 52 and may be used to control the speed of a car on the track16. A car traveling on the track 16 in the direction of arrow 176 passesfrom the section 16 into the left hand curve 18. At this time, if theoperator of the car does not turn the steering wheel 186 to the leftthereby placing the contact 84c of disc 180 in contact with the contact84d of plate 1'78 to thereby place the rheostat 62 in the circuit, thecontact 841: will complete a circuit from conductors 24 on section 18and lead 860 directly to the battery 52 through contact 84a, lead 86a,lead 780 and lead 60. This circuit will supply full voltage to a carbeing controlled by switch 74a so that the car will speed up and jumpthe track.

Similarly, when a car is approaching a right-hand turn, full voltagewill also be supplied to the car causing it to jump the track 20 if thesteering wheel 186 is not first turned to the right place to contact 76ain engagement with the contact 76d so that a circuit is completedthrough the leads 7% and 70a to the rheostat 62.

The electrical switch 104a is identical in structure to the switch 74aand may be used to control the flow of current to the outside conductors22 on the tracks 12 and 14. The switch 104a is connected to the rheostat68 by a lead a, directly to the battery 52 through leads 64a, 64b and 64and to the conductors 22 on the section 16 of the 7 tracks 12 and 14through a lead 1114a. The switch 104a is connected to the conductors 22on the section 18 of tracks 12 and 14 through a lead 116a and to theconductors 22 on the section 20 of tracks 12 and 14 through a lead 112a.

While the particular control means for electric racing cars herein shownand described in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects andproviding the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understoodthat they are merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodimentsof the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details ofconstruction or design herein shown other than as defined in theappended calims.

What is claimed is:

1. Steering control means for controlling the operation of a toyelectric racing car on a track supplied with electrical power throughfirst and second electrical conductors mounted on said track, said trackhaving a straight section, a left-hand curved section, and a right-handcurved section, said control means comprising:

a source of electrical power having a negative post and a positive post;

a first electrical lead connecting one of said posts to said firstconductor;

a second electrical lead connecting the other of said posts topotentiometer means for controlling the speed of said car;

a third electrical lead connecting said potentiometer means to amulti-position electrical switch, said switch including a stationarybase plate having a first plurality of electrical contacts and arotatable disc having a second plurality of electrical contactsselectively engageable with said first plurality of contacts, said thirdlead being connected to said first plurality of contacts;

a fourth electrical lead connecting one of said second plurality ofcontacts to said second electrical conductor on said straight section oftrack;

a fifth electrical lead connecting a second of said second plurality ofcontacts to said second conductor on said left-hand section of track;

a sixth electrical lead connecting a third of said second plurality ofcontacts to said second conductor on said right-hand curved section oftracks; and

insulator means provided in said second conductor on said track tocreate a fault between each of said sections.

2. A steering control means as defined in claim 1 wherein said disc isconnected to a steering wheel to be manipulated by an operator or" saidcontrol means to selectively engage said contacts.

3. A steering control means as defined in claim 2 wherein said steeringWheel and said potentiometer means are mounted in a control unit to beheld in the hand of an operator of said control means.

4. A steering control means as defined in claim 3 including shunt meansconnecting a predetermined group of said first plurality of contactsdirectly to said other post for supplying full voltage to said car whenit passes from one of said sections of track to another section whensaid operator fails to correctly manipulate said steering wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,693,798 12/1928 Schmid 104-1491,710,326 4/1929 Swartwout 104-149 1,865,276 6/1932 Rosenthal 104-1491,865,278 6/1932 Rosenthal 104-149 1,891,059 12/1932 Rosenthal 104-1492,750,191 6/1956 Denman 104-153 X 2,993,299 7/1961 Dingee et al 104-149X EUGENE G. BOTZ, Primary Examiner.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Examiner. S. B. GREEN, Assistant Examiner.

